Rivastigmine and metabolite analogues with putative Alzheimer’s disease-modifying properties in a Caenorhabditis elegans model

Abstract

The development of polyphenols as drugs for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is thwarted by their meagre brain availability due to instability and poor druglikeness. Here we describe the successful development of stable, druglike polyphenolic analogues of the current AD drug rivastigmine, that have high apparent blood-brain barrier permeabilities and multifunctional properties for AD treatment. The compounds inhibit cholinesterases and amyloid beta (Aβ) fibrillation, protect against Aβ42-induced toxicity in vitro, and demonstrate efficacy in vivo in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans model expressing Aβ42, with potencies similar to rivastigmine and natural polyphenols. The results suggest that a te..